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The MIT Press Essential Knowledge
Algorithms
An accessible introduction to algorithms, explaining not just what they are but how they work, with examples from a wide range of application areas. Digital technology runs on algorithms, sets of instructions that describe how to do something efficiently. Application areas range from search engines to tournament scheduling, DNA sequencing, and machine learning. Arguing that every educated person today needs to have some understanding of algorithms and what they do, in this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Panos Louridas offers an introduction to algorithms that is accessible to the nonspecialist reader. Louridas explains not just what algorithms are but also how they work, offering a wide range of examples and keeping mathematics to a minimum. After discussing what an algorithm does and how its effectiveness can be measured, Louridas covers three of the most fundamental applications graphs, which describe networks, from eighteenth-century problems to today's social networks; searching, and how to find the fastest way to search; and sorting, and the importance of choosing the best algorithm for particular tasks. He then presents larger-scale PageRank, Google's founding algorithm; and neural networks and deep learning. Finally, Louridas describes how all algorithms are nothing more than simple moves with pen and paper, and how from such a humble foundation rise all their spectacular achievements.
312 pages, Paperback
Published August 18, 2020
122 people are currently reading
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About the author
Panos Louridas
3 books13 followersPanos Louridas is Associate Professor in the Department of Management Science and Technology at the Athens University of Economics and Business. He is the author of Real World Algorithms: A Beginner's Guide (MIT Press).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 31, 2021
A relatively comprehensive overview of algorithms, what they are, and what they do.
I'd recommend this to anyone who's interested in the subject as it's really well-written (despite a few typos that made me stumble), and even goes into specific applications of algorithms like Google's Pagerank algorithm and Neural Networks.
That being said, my only significant gripe is that I wish it went more into detail with the maths and also that it'd tackle the graphical representation of algorithms using flowcharts and data visualisation. Kinda ironic that the cover has a flowchart but the pages themselves don't mention them at all, but that's relatively minor compared to what the book does well.
I'd recommend this to anyone who's interested in the subject as it's really well-written (despite a few typos that made me stumble), and even goes into specific applications of algorithms like Google's Pagerank algorithm and Neural Networks.
That being said, my only significant gripe is that I wish it went more into detail with the maths and also that it'd tackle the graphical representation of algorithms using flowcharts and data visualisation. Kinda ironic that the cover has a flowchart but the pages themselves don't mention them at all, but that's relatively minor compared to what the book does well.
August 15, 2023
3.5 stars! fun niche read
July 7, 2023
Excellent introduction to algorithms with examples that show how they work.
October 4, 2022
جميل لآخذ فكرة بسيطة عن هذا الموضوع ولكن اختيار الأفكار وطريقة الشرح غير موفقة، فيما يخص المواضيع البرمجية -حيث أغلب لغات البرمجة باللغة الإنكليزية - يتوقع من المترجم أن يحافظ على أسماء الخوارزميات بنفس اللغة لسهولة البحث والمراجعة فترجمة الكتاب لا تعني نقل كل شيء حرفياً للغة العربية.
October 11, 2023
I wanted to read something related to my field but text books are both expensive and dull. So I thought I would try a book like this that both tries to be a book that you read from start to finish and a book that can be used as reference. It succeeded in my opinion.
It was easy to get through since each algorithm mentioned is followed by a real world example. Though I will not be giving it a 5/5 since this is not something I would recommend to the average person. A small amount of prior knowledge is needed to fully grasp the book which I feel would be off putting to most people.
Still a great read.
It was easy to get through since each algorithm mentioned is followed by a real world example. Though I will not be giving it a 5/5 since this is not something I would recommend to the average person. A small amount of prior knowledge is needed to fully grasp the book which I feel would be off putting to most people.
Still a great read.
February 16, 2024
great book at explaining the idea of algorithms and some explains with little to no technical jargon or formulas.
unfortunately, the final two chapters go over some really high level stuff that was kind of lost on me (e.g. how google search sorts pages, how neural networks decide if an image is a dress or a shoe) but i'm excited to come across these topics in more detail as my data science master's program continues ~
unfortunately, the final two chapters go over some really high level stuff that was kind of lost on me (e.g. how google search sorts pages, how neural networks decide if an image is a dress or a shoe) but i'm excited to come across these topics in more detail as my data science master's program continues ~
September 26, 2020
This was a good intro to algorithms, however the last 2 chapters ramp up massively compared to the rest of the book. If it were not for the last two chapters how they are this would likely be a 4 or 5 star, but with how they are I'm going to have to give it more of a tepid 3. Still well worth it, especially if you don't have a compsci background.
January 16, 2024
This book provides an excellent birds-eye view of the topic of algorithms. I was familiar with most of the content already, yet reading this I was able to refresh my understanding of the topics on a general level. I welcomed the generality since I’m often examining these topics on a more minute level. It was nice to have a break and regain perspective.
The author starts by explaining what an algorithm is. He starts out by giving several examples of algorithms that can be worked out on paper, a point he is keen to reinforce - algorithms are not beholden to the computer. I enjoyed reading about how the algorithm to find the greatest common divisor of two numbers can be used to create various traditional rhythms of communities around the world.
He jumps into graphs next, examining topics such as the Konigsberg Bridge Problem, the Hierholzer Algorithm, edge-coloring problems, and Dijkstra’s Algorithm.
Searching and Sorting are the next two chapters. They are quite straightforward as far as those topics go, yet I want to emphasize that the algorithms covered are presented in a logical and helpful order.
The final two chapters deal with more specific subjects, Google’s original PageRank algorithm and an introduction to the foundations of Deep Learning. I thought these were great real-world examples of the use cases of algorithms.
All in all, it’s a great, quick read whether you’re brand new to the topic or looking to remind yourself of some of the basics.
The author starts by explaining what an algorithm is. He starts out by giving several examples of algorithms that can be worked out on paper, a point he is keen to reinforce - algorithms are not beholden to the computer. I enjoyed reading about how the algorithm to find the greatest common divisor of two numbers can be used to create various traditional rhythms of communities around the world.
He jumps into graphs next, examining topics such as the Konigsberg Bridge Problem, the Hierholzer Algorithm, edge-coloring problems, and Dijkstra’s Algorithm.
Searching and Sorting are the next two chapters. They are quite straightforward as far as those topics go, yet I want to emphasize that the algorithms covered are presented in a logical and helpful order.
The final two chapters deal with more specific subjects, Google’s original PageRank algorithm and an introduction to the foundations of Deep Learning. I thought these were great real-world examples of the use cases of algorithms.
All in all, it’s a great, quick read whether you’re brand new to the topic or looking to remind yourself of some of the basics.
September 9, 2022
This was an excellent introduction to algorithms, from simple to more complicated. Algorithms get a bad rap in today's culture, not due to what they are, but due to how they are applied and blinding speed today's computing environment that can run thousands of iterations in less than a second.
A fundamental takeaway was that all algorithms can be done by hand as it is nothing more than an instructional framework to solve a particular problem. The chapters on search and on sort were well done. The last chapter on Deep Learning and neuron networks was really well done in my opinion and explained the concept in a way that was simple to understand. Hopefully all the books in the MIT series are as well done.
A fundamental takeaway was that all algorithms can be done by hand as it is nothing more than an instructional framework to solve a particular problem. The chapters on search and on sort were well done. The last chapter on Deep Learning and neuron networks was really well done in my opinion and explained the concept in a way that was simple to understand. Hopefully all the books in the MIT series are as well done.
November 25, 2022
Concise and neat introduction to algorithms and their uses in real world. Will do nicely for readers with no experience in the subject (or math) at all. Written very engaging, the author draws parallels with daily life to explain more complex algorithms, which is quite helpful, as it is both helping the understanding of the subject and relieving the concentration after an abundance of technical details.
I found this book while roaming in NYC bookstore, and what draw my attention was the size of this book (usually books on algorithms are quite big). After some research, I realized MIT published a whole lot of such books on a variety of subjects: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/se.... Looking forward to reading more of these!
I found this book while roaming in NYC bookstore, and what draw my attention was the size of this book (usually books on algorithms are quite big). After some research, I realized MIT published a whole lot of such books on a variety of subjects: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/se.... Looking forward to reading more of these!
March 23, 2023
Ha sido una pasada recorrer todas y cada una de las páginas de este libro. No ha sido fácil digerir algunos capítulos por su complejidad, pero habla de grafos, de cómo se conectan datos entre ellos, de cómo funcionan los algoritmos para hacer búsquedas y ordenar información, incluso de aprendizaje automático y aprendizaje profundo, haciendo la comparativa de neuronas biológicas con artificiales. Ha sido un viaje acompañado de lápiz para ir tomando notas y subrayando ideas. Y una traducción de 10.
September 7, 2023
AUDIO It was dense, but definitely not as dense as I thought. I was drawn to this book because of how “algorithm” is thrown around with social media, and I was curious to know what an algorithm actually was. Didn’t realize this was literally a math textbook (LOL) but I really enjoyed the way it was written; broken up in a way that was very easy to follow/understand - for the most part. I really liked the end and how it connected algorithms to “deep learning” and real world stuff, I wish it talked more about that and social media. Still good stuff to know!!
February 5, 2025
3.5*
It's not a bad book, it's just that it could have been even better. It could have pushed even more on the importance of (effective) algorithms, and focused a bit more on "algorithmic thinking". Even if I liked the PageRank walkthrough, it felt like that chapter could have been used for something better.
Still, searching, sorting and deep learning was a very good read. Those chapters are more 4,5*.
I would recommend it to anyone interested in algorithms, since it's a relative short but good book.
It's not a bad book, it's just that it could have been even better. It could have pushed even more on the importance of (effective) algorithms, and focused a bit more on "algorithmic thinking". Even if I liked the PageRank walkthrough, it felt like that chapter could have been used for something better.
Still, searching, sorting and deep learning was a very good read. Those chapters are more 4,5*.
I would recommend it to anyone interested in algorithms, since it's a relative short but good book.
October 20, 2020
An interest perspective on math that provides a simple introduction to algorithms as a series of precise steps with the first practical application being drumming. If you are a software developer or perform data analysis, then this book would be easy to understand. Otherwise it will probably get to involved in mathematics for you.
September 3, 2023
really adorable book that you can read on a sunday afternoon when you feel your brain sagging a little bit in its seat and you want a little rigor. and then the afternoon is over, and you finish the book and leave it in a little free library somewhere in philly with your annotations and your name and your phone number, because you are still, and fundamentally, an idiot, after all.
February 9, 2025
This was a great introduction to a few key areas in maths and computer science. Very well communicated and informative. Personally I enjoyed the first five chapters the most, the deep learning chapter felt quite separate from the rest of the book, perhaps added particularly because of recent advances in ML and AI.
March 21, 2022
This was a great book.
I enjoyed learning more about the behind-the-scenes details about algorithms, having written quite a few myself.
Would recommend to programmers looking to get theory.
4.2/5
I enjoyed learning more about the behind-the-scenes details about algorithms, having written quite a few myself.
Would recommend to programmers looking to get theory.
4.2/5
July 14, 2022
I started this book 19 months ago and haven't picked it up in about 18 months. It was a little interesting, but not a book I would ever pick up to do some light reading...
Maybe now that my work involves computers, I would come at this from a different angle, but for now it is abandoned.
Maybe now that my work involves computers, I would come at this from a different angle, but for now it is abandoned.
December 27, 2020
Not as interesting as I had hoped. One of those books that claims to simplify a complex subject but then proceeds to ramp up quickly.
Read
April 29, 2021Algorithms that apply to the real world. Like Decoding the human genome.
Currently reading
January 20, 2022005.13 L892 2020
April 3, 2022
A solid intro to algorithms. Some topics were a little shallow.
July 8, 2022
Good, especially the last chapter about deep learning.
July 28, 2022
Enjoyed it alot i put it down for a month or so and when i picked it back up i finished it in one night definitely a good introduction to algorithms
October 2, 2022
A simple but not *too* simple intro to algorithmic logic using graph theory, sorting, searching, pagerank, and machine learning as examples. Well designed book
October 15, 2022
Great book when it comes to explaining seemingly complex topics in simple terms
February 7, 2023
It has alway been my interest to find out more on this topic and this book truly didn’t disappoint me but offers to provide me with the right answer and fill me up with all the details information.
April 5, 2023
Really helped me simplify algorithms and demystify them. First 4 chapters were great. The last two kind of through me off from the premise of the book. All in all good read though.
July 15, 2023
Well-written and good info, but last 2 chapters were much more advanced than the first part of the book
October 11, 2023
A good refresher, and a good gift too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews